HTV: One Thrill Ride of a Meeting (Now Revised)
by Regina de Morte a.k.a. Mezza
Summary: Remember the Trill Ride O' Love? We all know that Hephaestus makes traps for his wife and her lover, and that he televises these "meetings" on his network HTV. What did the gods think when they realized demigods were caught, not Aphrodite and Ares? Revised Edition in Chapter 2.
1. Original Edition - July 27, 2011

**Disclaimer: Honestly, I don't own the part that is Rick's… I however do own the stuff that is mine.**

**I am dearly sorry those of you that read the first bit of this… A long bit ago… I didn't like the original ending, it was just horridly written. Then I rewrote and it was better, but it didn't fit. And I finally ended up here, I like this version better.**

**Beta: I DON'T HAVE ONE! D; Anyone wanna beta it for me?**

_Third Person Omniscient Point of View:_

**.o.O.o.**

"Where is he!" Athena materialized into the throne room shocking Zeus and Hera. She was, quite literally, fuming. Her grey eyes were murderous as she stormed up to her throne.

"Athena," Zeus' inquisitive voice rang through the room with a resonance only an immortal could muster. His eyes held the question he did not voice: what in Hades happened?

"Father. Poseidon's bastard is endangering my daughter," Athena explained tersely. "I've sent Apollo to fetch him."

Zeus and Hera both tensed at her words. Athena didn't notice this though. She was too concerned with her own matters to notice, much less care.

"Athena, you are in fact the goddess of wisdom. Am I correct?" Zeus spat vehemently.

Athena spouted off a textbook answer, "Yes father, I was born of your wisdom was I not?"

The angered God stood from his throne and bellowed, "Then _why_ to you not _show_ it!" His eyes bore a likeness to the bright lightening he was known for.

"Zeus-"

Hera was cut off by a wave of her husband's hand as he receded into his chair. She huffed and made her way to her own throne next to Zeus'. As she sat she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow; she had had enough. She had been trying to talk sense into her rash husband for quite sometime, and she thought she had made some ground. However, Athena had crushed that in her entrance.

As Athena was about to begin yet another tirade upon her uncle the golden doors at the front of the room clicked loudly open and her brother strode, rather flamboyantly, into the room. With a snap of his fingers the doors, gigantic to mortals, closed with a rumble behind him.

"Where is Poseidon?" Zeus' voice thundered throughout the space before Athena could voice the same question.

"Lighten up would you father." Zeus' eyes bulged, anger fighting to come out. "He said he will be a moment. Also-wanted-me-to-tell-you-not-to-kill-him-or-his-son," Apollo blurted out then vanished before anything could be done to him.

"How dare he!" Zeus could not believe his brother would stoop so low as to send Apollo as a messenger, actually, he could.

"Honey," Hera tried to see if he would talk rationally with her. It never was a good thing when Zeus' ichor pressure rose so high. "Promise me to at least hear you brother's point of view."

Zeus looked at his wife bewildered. How did she think he was going to be able to sit there and listen to his idiotic brother right now?

Athena merely looked amused, and was thinking about what in Hades' name that buy was doing with her daughter at the moment.

"Zeus," Hera didn't seem to have noticed her husband's bafflement, "I love you, you know that, but I love this family too. I do not want to see it broken and ripped apart because of some thievery that may or may not have been falsely accused." Her face was adamant and looked as if were Juno, her Roman counterpart so to speak, and not the maternal queen of the Greek Olympians.

Zeus saw no other way to stop her infernal pleas for peace: "I will listen, that does not mean that I will believe whatever nonsense it is that I hear from my brother."

A sickly sweet aroma permeated through the air as Zeus spoke. Aphrodite sparkled into the room along with the sent.

Athena's face scrunched at the almost toxic smell of perfume.

"Hello everybody!" Aphrodite smirked knowingly; Athena had never liked the way she chose to enter into a room.

"Why, pray tell, are _you_ here Aphrodite? I have business to discuss." Athena begrudgingly asked.

Aphrodite smiled widely with a somewhat torturous look in her eyes as she chasse over to her throne. "Oh, I don't know. I just felt like dropping in… I was rather bored. You all do realize that watching old flames and finding new ones can only be _so_ much fun for _so _long."

Hera scowled; she had _never_ approved of Aphrodite's "conquests." She especially loathed when she chose to speak openly about them. Adultery did _not_ fit in to her "picture perfect cookie cutter" version of her family.

As Aphrodite sat down, content that she would not be banished from the room quite yet, a miniscule trickle of water transformed into a raging rapid and consumed the throne to the right of Zeus'.

"Must he _always_ do that?" Athena sighed.

"Yes, my dearest nice, I must," Poseidon smiled widely, basking in the glory of annoying Athena, "Why precisely am I here? I was under the impression," He turned to his brother, "that I am about to go to war with at least one person in attendance, and I am not exactly wanted about these halls."

Ahead of anyone else Aphrodite piped in. "Do tell sister dearest, why _have_ you brought Poseidon here now?" she snidely quipped.

Athena, who both refused to ever be thought a fool and believed listening to her sister to be almost as bad as her uncle, _almost_, tried to focus on the matter at hand: her daughter. "Poseidon, your sea spawn is causing my daughter trouble from the god of war as we speak." It was then she realized why Aphrodite was present. "What do you have to say for him?" she spat vehemently.

Hera sighed and sank down further into her throne, already bored with the event unfolding before her. She had in fact seen this fight before, or at least one like it.

Zeus chose to answer for his brother, who was quite literally steaming at the moment, "Athena, Perseus, though a thief he may be," Poseidon's face tightened even more, "is not intending to bring harm to your daughter."

Athena and Poseidon both looked taken aback and highly unsure of what to say.

Athena, as always, recovered first. "Not intending to bring harm does not matter if he does bring fourth harm."

Poseidon had had enough. His boy was no thief. Certainly Percy would not intend to hurt others, even if they were related to Athena. "My boy has not harmed your daughter Athena," he spoke powerfully; "He has brought an opportunity for your daughter, Annabeth I believe, to prove herself on a quest. If that includes, as you say, 'trouble from the god of war' so be it. It would do you well to remember that _my_ son is also endangered." Poseidon had moved to the edge of his seat during his rant and gripped the arms of the throne. His face held the deadly rage of the seas he held control of.

Before Athena could gather herself and think of what to say her sister decided to step in and speak. "Athena, I know that you have never thought much of me, but I believe you will have to give the boy a chance. Regardless of his origins, I know you can see that he honestly meant no harm to Annabeth."

Four faces, eight wide eyes, stared at Aphrodite blankly. The other immortals seemed to be at a loss for words; they had all forgotten she did in fact have some working brain cells.

The four immortals were saved from their speechlessness in the form of the war god himself.

"I think I could like that little punk of yours Poseidon. Of course, he is quite rude, but that's nothing a good beating or two wouldn't fix." Ares' voice ricocheted off of the walls causing four of the gods to noticeably sink into their chairs. Ares' voice exuded the entire god of war harshness just as the rest of him did.

"Hey honey," Aphrodite cooed to Ares as he strode across the room to his throne which was across from hers.

Ares smirked in response and sat loudly down. The remaining gods, no matter how many times they had seen the two morons like this, felt shivers run down their spines from the awkward feelings they got.

The room was silent for sometime before a beeping sounded and a golden television began to rise from the floor. The silence was completely normal for the gods; however the television confused them all: at least most of them.

"What is it _this_ time?" Zeus sighed sinking further into his throne, "The two morons who show up on this infernal thing are with us!"

Ares grinned at his father knowingly. "I may have-" He was cut off by a strangled noise coming from his sister.

Athena's eyes were bulged out of her head when the five alarmed gods looked to her; her eyes were attached to the screen of the television set, more specifically on the images it played.

Water had exploded into a previously very dry crater in the earth the humans dubbed 'pool.' A golden net covered the pool making it impossible for the two figures in it to escape.

Gripping her throne harder, Athena's face contorted into pure rage. "Ares," she snarled with her eyes still on the scene unraveling in front of her, "_What_ have you gotten my daughter into?"

Ares, having spent so much time on the battlefield with her, knew that an enraged Athena was a highly vindictive Athena and thought better of explaining. The war god audibly poofed from the throne room.

The gods remained silent watching, Athena did not. "Poseidon, what is your son doing in the 'Thrill Ride O' Love' with my daughter?"

"I think I can answer that."

"Oh shut up Aphrodite! I didn't ask you!"

"I believe you would have to ask Ares, seeing as _that_ is _his_ shield inside the boat," Poseidon levelheadedly explained.

Athena loathed when he made sense; she refused to believe it and ignored him turning back to the screen in time to see the idiots' fool of a son buckle himself and Annabeth into the boat that held Ares' shield.

Small metal contraptions that looked to be spiders were washed away as a tidal wave crashed into the boat. The boat forged higher as the water churned. They were going to hit the net and unlike whom the net was intended for, Percy and Annabeth would not be merely caught inside.

Realizing the severity of the situation Athena saw fit to make a well known promise: "If this stupidity causes my child's death I swear on the Styx that Ares will have no safe haven, he will suffer at my hand for eternity."

The room was silent aside from the noise of the rushing water on Hephaestus' television. None of the gods knew what to say to that and, like Ares, thought better than to try anything.

The boat on the screen, that was very real somewhere, turned into the darkness of the tunnel causing the camera to zoom searching for them in the gloom. The figures were hardly detectable inside the small tunnel.

"Poseidon," Athena muttered, "is your _spawn_ taking my daughter down the tunnel of _love_?" She looked like a statue whose lips moved minutely.

"Athena, stop overreacting. Perseus saved them if you didn't notice." Poseidon calmly teased. He loved to not only prove his niece wrong, but provoke her. He considered it to be one of his favorite past times. And a past time that never goes away is welcome when you live forever.

The boat left the tunnel, but continued to careen towards the exit. Which, by the looks of it would be very painful when they hit. Annabeth and Percy fought and unfastened their seatbelts.

As the figures stood Hera condescendingly questioned, "_Why_ are they standing?"

Everyone other than Aphrodite shrugged not caring enough to explain that they had to get off the boat or die: a point Hera had obviously missed.

Aphrodite was too busy squealing like a little girl who had just been told 'yes' to notice anything other than herself. She answered the blank stares after she noticed them: "_Look_! They are holding hands!" She squealed and pointed giddily.

Athena's face scrunched up in horror when she noticed her brainless sister was correct while the others laughed heartily.

"Aphrodite, a word to the wise," Zeus managed to get out through his laughter, "I wouldn't go there if I were you."

"Why?" She pouted like a child who was told 'no.'

Hera scoffed, "Sweetheart, did you notice that the boy's father is Poseidon and the girl's mother is Athena? That simply won't happen." Hera could barely the laughter at her daughter's foolishness.

They turned their heads back to the screen in alarm as Annabeth screamed, not catching if she said something or if she was just screaming in the last moments of her life.

The two demigods on the screen jumped from the boat and went flying straight for the concrete of the exit. Luckily, a sayter wearing a pair of Hermes' sneakers, who none of the gods had noticed before, caught the two midflight: only to plummet into the photoboard beneath.

None of the gods were sure of what to make of the pile on the ground on the screen. They all sat and watched as the group untangled themselves and got up. Once they were al up and they made sure no one was severely injured, Percy turned to face the camera.

"Show's over! Thank you! Good night!"

The screen went blank as the television receded back into the ground of the throne room.

"Athena, I do believe that your original purpose here is done. Unless you have another matter to bring to my attention I think it would be wise to leave. You as well _brother_." Zeus spat out. He was quite over these stupid fusses the two of them had. He also wanted his brother _gone_.

"Father, can't we just sit here?" Aphrodite asked cluelessly, slightly more than normal.

The four intelligent gods' faces were contorted somewhere between pity and something very close to disgust.

Hera was the first to speak, "Honey?"

"Yes, mom," Aphrodite said scathingly, knowing that Hera had taken it upon herself to dismiss her.

"I think Athena wishes to talk to your father…"

"I've got it! I'm leaving. You know," She sounded almost hurt now, "I do _have_ a brain!" She pouted fading from the room.

"You don't think…" Hera trailed off disgustedly.

"Um…who knows, it is Aphrodite," Poseidon answered awkwardly.

"Yes, yes. My dear sister is a blithering idiot let's leave it at that," Athena gave the remaining three gods a pointed look. "Let's get down to business." She said lyrically as if she had fallen into her comfort zone: which, she had.

It seemed to her that her uncle and father may be able to come to their senses if they would at the very least to speak to each other. Not that she wanted to help Poseidon in any way, but…

"The world is at ends with itself. You must stop this nonsense before you ruin the world all of us have strived to create. I will not let this happen. War is not the answer!" By this point she had made her way to the center of the room facing the two ornery males.

They both, showing their family resemblance, looked furious at being accused of destroying the world. The two both started to speak, but were cut off by Hera.

You know, as much as I hate to say it again," She spoke as she walked to stand between her husband and Athena, "Athena is right. Both of you are acting as if your millennia on this planet have taught you nothing! _Fools_! You have always been and will continue to be until you learn to listen!"

Athena looked horrified; Hera was _not_ getting away with calling either of those immortal brothers a fool.

"I am no _fool_! _He_ has insulted my son and in turn me. I will not relent until he has admitted to being wrong!" Poseidon stormed, quite literally, from the room giving Zeus no time to repudiate.

"_You_," Zeus sneered at his wife, "will never insult me again!" His eyes were filled with lightning. He receded into the shadows of the room and glared with hatred at his wife so well she mistook him for his brother for a moment. "I hope what will come will teach you to call me a fool, _dear_." He spat vehemently and left.

Hera released the breath she had been holding and slowly sank into her throne. "That was not how I expected that to go. They're worse off than I thought."

"How did you expect it to go Hera?" Athena asked incredulously. "You insulted them!"

"I was hoping that they would put aside their differences and loathe me instead of each other." Hera looked up at the goddess from her hands exhaustedly.

"Oh." Athena said smally while crouching in front of the queen of the gods and finally seeing _why_ she holds that title. "Well, I don't believe that it worked the way you wanted it to. You would really do that though? Sacrifice yourself for them so to speak?"

"Yes child, I hate to see them fight and tear the family apart. They are _brothers_ they love each other. Nothing should come between them, even themselves. Nothing." Hera sighed. "I'll be leaving now. I must talk with the others. At least, I pray, they will see sense."

As Hera rose from her throne Athena stood and did something she had never done before: hugged her.

Athena had always been one of Hera's least favorites. And vice versa. Athena did not have a mother, and that irked Hera the most: she should have been, but wasn't. Athena never saw any use in Hera, she wasn't any use in a war.

Hera pulled back and smiled at Athena and left her not only alone in the enormous throne room, but with a new found respect for the queen of the gods.

**.o.O.o.**

**I wanted to write their reactions to Percy and Annabeth's predicament, but I didn't just want to write that. I wanted a reason for people to be there when it happened.**

**If you see anything wrong with this let me know!**

**Love always,**

**Mezza**

**PS- If you want copies of all of my written work let me know. ;) I'll scan them for you.**

**PPS- Yes, I **_**write**_** all of my stuff. That's why it takes longer to do. ;) I think version one was six sheets and version two is eleven. ;D**


	2. Revised Edition - March 24, 2014

**~* I recently received a review from ****Zammie-Percabeth-Slythindork on this piece and I was inspired to revisit it. I hope you see improvement. It is posted as a second chapter because I'm sure some people will prefer the previous version, and I see no reason to post it as a new story. *~**

**Disclaimer: The idea from this story and plot inspiration is from the first Percy Jackson book, The Lightening Thief, by Rick Riordan. Any ideas that can be tied to him are his; no copyright infringement is intended.**

**Warning: The rest of this piece is mine. This is how I view the Gods from about two decades of learning about them. They may not be cannon with what Mr. Riordan writes.**

_Third Person Omniscient Point of View:_

**.o.O.o.**

"Where is he!" Athena materialized into the throne room, ceasing Hera's plea to Zeus. She was, quite literally, fuming. Her grey eyes were murderous as she stormed up to her throne.

"Athena," Zeus' inquisitive voice rang through the room with a resonance only an immortal could muster. His eyes held the question he did not voice: What in Hades happened?

"Father, Poseidon's bastard is endangering my daughter," Athena explained tersely. "I've sent Apollo to fetch him."

Zeus and Hera both tensed at her words. Athena didn't notice this though; she was too concerned with her own matters to notice, much less care.

"Athena, you are in fact the goddess of wisdom. Am I correct?" Zeus spat vehemently.

Athena spouted off a textbook answer, "Yes, father, I was born of your wisdom, was I not?"

The angered God stood from his throne and bellowed, "Then _why_ to you not _show_ it!" His eyes bore a likeness to the bright lightening he was known for.

"Zeus-"

Hera was cut off by a wave of her husband's hand as he receded into his chair. She huffed and made her way to her own throne next to Zeus'. As she sat she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow; she had had enough. She had been trying to talk sense into her rash husband for quite some time, and she thought she had gained some ground. However, Athena had crushed that with her entrance.

As Athena was about to begin yet another tirade upon her uncle, the golden doors at the front of the room clicked loudly open and her brother strode, rather flamboyantly, into the room. With a snap of his fingers, the doors, gigantic to mortals, closed with a rumble behind him.

"Where is Poseidon?" Zeus' voice thundered throughout the space before Athena could voice the same question.

With a smirk Apollo retorted, "Lighten up would you father." Zeus' eyes bulged, anger fighting to come out. "He said he will be a moment. Also-wanted-me-to-tell-you-not-to-kill-him-or-his-son," Apollo blurted out in a blinding light, then vanished before anything could be done to him.

"How dare he!" Zeus could not believe his brother would stoop so low as to send Apollo to beg on his behalf, actually, he could.

"Honey," Hera tried to see if he would talk rationally with her. It never was a good thing when Zeus' ichor pressure rose so high. "Promise me to at least hear you brother's point of view."

Zeus looked at his wife bewildered. How did she think he was going to be able to sit there and listen to his foolish brother right now? Especially, for Poseidon to speak on behalf of his young thief. The thought itself enraged him.

Athena merely looked amused, and was thinking about what in Hades' name that boy was doing with her daughter at the moment. She did not want her children, particularly Annabeth, mislead.

"Zeus," Hera didn't seem to have noticed her husband's bafflement, "I love you, you know that, but I love this family, too. I do not want to see it broken and ripped apart because of some thievery that may or may not have been falsely accused." Her face was adamant and looked as if she were Juno, her commanding Roman psyche, and not the maternal queen of the Greek Olympians.

Zeus saw no other way to stop her infernal pleas for peace: "I will listen, that does not mean that I will believe whatever nonsense it is that I hear from my brother."

A sickly sweet aroma permeated through the air as Zeus spoke. Aphrodite sparkled into the room along with the sent.

Athena's face scrunched at the almost toxic smell of perfume; Athena had never liked the way Aphrodite chose to enter into a room.

"Hello, everybody!" Aphrodite leered knowingly.

"Why, pray tell, are _you_ here Aphrodite?" Athena begrudgingly asked. "I have business to discuss. It does not concern you." Athena's tone resolutely left no room for debate.

Aphrodite smiled widely with a somewhat torturous look in her eyes as she chasséd over to her throne. "Oh, I don't know. I just felt like dropping in… I was rather bored. You all do realize that watching old flames and finding new ones can only be _so_ much fun for _so_long."

Hera scowled; she had _never_ approved of Aphrodite's conquests. She chiefly loathed when she chose to speak openly about them. Adultery did _not_ fit in to her picture-perfect, cookie-cutter version of her family.

As Aphrodite sat down, content that she would not be banished from the room quite yet, a miniscule trickle of water transformed into a raging rapid and consumed the throne to the right of Zeus'.

"Must he _always_ do that?" Athena sighed.

"Yes, my dearest nice, I must," Poseidon smiled widely, basking in the glory of Athena's annoyance, "Why precisely am I here? I was under the impression," He turned to his brother, "that I am about to go to war with at least one person in attendance, and I am not exactly wanted about these halls."

Ahead of anyone else, Aphrodite piped in. "Do tell dearie, why _have_ you brought Poseidon here now?" she snidely quipped.

Athena, who refused to ever be thought a fool and believed listening to the goddess of love to be almost as bad as her uncle, _almost_, focused on the matter at hand: her daughter. "Poseidon, your sea spawn is causing my daughter trouble from the god of war as we speak." It was then she realized why Aphrodite was present. "What do you have to say for him?" she spat vehemently.

Hera sighed and sank down further into her throne, already bored with the event unfolding before her. She had, in fact, seen this fight before, or at least one like it.

Zeus chose to answer for his brother, who was quite literally steaming at the moment, "Athena, Perseus, though a thief he may be," Poseidon's face tightened even more, "is not intending to bring harm to your daughter."

Athena and Poseidon both looked taken aback and highly unsure of what to say.

Athena, as always, recovered first. "Not intending to bring harm does not matter if he does bring fourth harm."

Poseidon had had enough. His boy was no thief. Certainly, Percy would not intend to hurt others, even if they were related to Athena. "My boy has not harmed your daughter Athena," he spoke powerfully; "He has brought an opportunity for your daughter, Annabeth I believe, to prove herself on a quest. If that includes, as you say, 'trouble from the god of war' so be it. It would do you well to remember that _my_ son is also endangered." Poseidon had moved to the edge of his seat during his rant and gripped the arms of the throne. His face held the deadly rage of the seas he controlled.

Before Athena could gather herself and think of what to say her great aunt decided to step in and speak. "Athena, I know that you have never thought much of me, but I believe you will have to give the boy a chance. Regardless of his origins, I know you can see that he honestly meant no harm to Annabeth."

Four faces and eight wide eyes, stared at Aphrodite blankly. The other immortals seemed to be at a loss for words; they had all forgotten she did, truthfully, have some working brain cells.

The four immortals were saved from their speechlessness in the form of the war god himself.

"I think I could like that little punk of yours, Poseidon. Of course, he is quite rude, but that's nothing a good beating or two wouldn't fix." Ares' voice ricocheted off of the walls causing four of the gods to noticeably sink into their chairs. Ares' abrasive voice exuded the entire god of war harshness just as effectively as the rest of him did.

"Hey, honey," Aphrodite cooed to Ares as he strode across the room to his throne which was across from hers.

Ares smirked in response and loudly sat down. The remaining gods, no matter how many times they had seen the two morons like this, felt shivers run down their spines from the awkward tensions the two created.

The room was stuck in a silent stiffness before a beeping sounded and a golden television began to rise from the center of the floor. The silence was completely normal for the gods, as they often withdraw into their own considerations; however, the television confused them all, at least most of them.

"What is it _this_ time?" Zeus sighed sinking further into his throne, "The two morons who show up on this infernal thing are with us!"

Ares grinned at his father knowingly. "I may have-"

He was cut off by a strangled noise coming from his sister.

Athena's eyes were bulged out of her head when the five alarmed gods looked to her; her eyes were attached to the screen of the television set, more specifically, on the images it played.

Water had exploded into a previously very dry crater in the earth the humans dubbed a pool. A golden net covered the pool making it impossible for the two figures in it to escape.

Gripping her throne harder, Athena's face contorted into pure rage. "Ares," she snarled with her eyes still on the scene unraveling in front of her, "_What_ have you gotten my daughter into?"

Ares, having spent so much time on the battlefield with her, knew that an enraged Athena was a highly vindictive Athena and thought better of explaining. The war god audibly poofed from the throne room.

The gods remained quiet watching, Athena did not. "Poseidon, what is your son doing in the 'Thrill Ride O' Love' with my daughter?"

"I think I can answer that."

"Oh shut up Aphrodite! I didn't ask you!"

"I believe you would have to ask Ares, seeing as _that_ is _his_ shield inside the boat," Poseidon levelheadedly explained.

Athena loathed when he made sense; she refused to believe it and ignored him turning back to the screen in time to see the idiot's fool of a son buckle himself and Annabeth into the boat that held Ares' shield.

Small, bronze metal contraptions that looked to be spiders were washed away as a tidal wave crashed into the boat. The boat forged higher as the water churned. They were going to hit the net and unlike whom the net was intended for, Percy and Annabeth would not be merely caught inside.

Realizing the severity of the situation Athena saw fit to make a well-known promise: "If this stupidity causes my child's death I swear on the Styx that Ares will have no safe haven, he will suffer at my hand for eternity."

The room was soundless aside from the noise of the rushing water on Hephaestus' television. None of the gods knew what to say to that and, like Ares, thought better than to try anything.

The boat on the screen, that was very real somewhere, turned into the darkness of the tunnel causing the camera to zoom and pan, searching for them in the gloom. The figures were hardly detectable inside the small tunnel.

"Poseidon," Athena muttered, "is your _spawn_ taking my daughter down the tunnel of _love_?" She looked like a statue whose lips moved minutely.

"Athena, stop overreacting. Perseus saved them if you didn't notice," Poseidon calmly teased. He loved to not only prove his niece wrong, but provoke her. He considered it to be one of his favorite past times. And a past time that never goes away is welcome when you live forever.

The boat left the tunnel, but continued to careen towards the exit. An exit which, by the looks of it would be very painful when they smashed into it. Annabeth and Percy fought and unfastened their seatbelts.

As the figures stood, Hera condescendingly questioned, "_Why_ are they standing?"

Everyone, other than Aphrodite, shrugged not caring enough to explain that they had to get off the boat or die: a point Hera had obviously missed.

Aphrodite was too busy squealing like a little girl who had just been told 'yes' to notice anything other than herself. She answered the blank stares after she noticed them: "_Look_! They are holding hands!" She squealed, bouncing with delight in her seat, and pointed giddily.

Athena's face scrunched up in horror when she noticed the brainless goddess was correct while the others laughed heartily.

"Aphrodite, a word to the wise," Zeus managed to get out through his laughter, "I wouldn't go there if I were you."

"Why?" She pouted like a child who was put into timeout.

Hera scoffed, "Sweetheart, did you notice that the boy's father is Poseidon and the girl's mother is Athena? That simply won't happen." Hera could barely the laughter at Athena's foolishness.

They turned their heads back to the screen in alarm as Annabeth screamed, not catching if she said something or if she was just screaming in the last moments of her life.

The two demigods on the screen jumped from the boat and went flying straight for the concrete slab of the exit. Luckily, a sayter wearing a pair of Hermes' sneakers, who none of the gods had noticed before, caught the two midflight: only to plummet into the photoboard beneath.

None of the gods were sure of what to make of the pile on the ground on the screen. They all sat and watched as the group untangled themselves and got up. Once they were all up and they made sure no one was severely injured, Percy turned to face the camera.

"Show's over! Thank you! Good night!"

The screen went blank as the television receded back into the ground of the throne room.

"Athena, I do believe that your original purpose here is void; Annabeth is sufficiently safe. Unless you have another matter to bring to my attention, I think it would be wise to leave." Zeus turned his head and spat, "You as well, _brother_." He was quite over these aggravating controversies the two of them had regularly. He also wanted his brother _gone_.

"Father, can't we just sit here?" Aphrodite asked cluelessly, slightly more than usual.

The four intelligent gods' faces were contorted somewhere between pity and something very close to disgust.

Hera was the first to speak, "Honey?"

"Yes, ma'am," Aphrodite said scathingly, knowing that Hera had taken it upon herself to dismiss her.

"I think Athena wishes to talk to Zeus-"

"I've got it! I'm leaving. You know," She sounded almost hurt now, "I do _have_ a brain!" She pouted fading from the room.

"You don't think…" Hera trailed off distastefully.

"Um…who knows, it is Aphrodite," Poseidon answered awkwardly.

"Yes, yes. We all know Aphrodite is a blithering idiot let's leave it at that," Athena gave the remaining three gods a pointed look. "Let's get down to business," she said lyrically, as if she had fallen into her comfort zone: which, she had.

It seemed to her that her uncle and father may be able to come to their senses if they would at the very least to speak to each other. Not that she wanted to help Poseidon in any way, but…

"The world is at ends with itself. You must stop this nonsense before you ruin the world all of us have strived to create. I will not let this happen. War is not the answer!" By this point she had made her way to the center of the room facing the two ornery males.

They both, showing their family resemblance, looked furious at being accused of destroying the world. The two started to speak, but were cut off by Hera.

"You know, as much as I hate to say it again," She spoke as she walked to stand between her husband and Athena, "Athena is right. Both of you are acting as if your millennia on this planet has taught you nothing! _Fools_! You have always been and will continue to be until you learn to listen!"

Athena looked horrified; Hera was _not_ getting away with calling either of those immortal brothers a fool.

"I am no _fool_! _He_ has insulted my son and in turn me. I will not relent until he has admitted to being wrong!" Poseidon stormed, not figuratively, from the room giving Zeus no time to repudiate.

"_You_," Zeus sneered at his wife, "will never insult me again!" His eyes were filled with lightning. He receded into the shadows of the room and glared with hatred at his wife so well she mistook him for his other brother for a moment. "I hope what will come will teach you to call me a fool, _dear_." He spat vehemently and left.

Hera released the breath she had been holding and slowly sank into her throne, resting her arms on her legs. "That was not how I expected that to go. They're worse off than I thought." Hera dropped her head into her hands, disheartened.

"How did you expect it to go, Hera?" Athena asked incredulously. "You insulted them!"

"I was hoping that they would put aside their differences and loathe me instead of each other." Hera looked up at the goddess from her hands, her face weary.

"Oh." Athena said smally while crouching in front of the queen of the gods and finally seeing _why_ she holds that title. "Well, I don't believe that it worked the way you desired it to. You would really do that though? Sacrifice yourself for them so to speak?"

"Yes child, I hate to see them fight and tear the family apart. They are _brothers__;_ they love each other. Nothing should come between them, even themselves. Nothing." Hera sighed. "I'll be leaving now. I must talk with the others. At least, I pray, they will see sense."

As Hera rose from her throne, Athena stood and did something she had never done before: hugged her.

Athena had always been one of Hera's least favorites. And vice versa. Athena did not have a mother, and that irked Hera the most: she should have been her daughter, but wasn't. Athena never saw any use in Hera: she wasn't any use in a war, she wasn't very creative, and she wasn't very wise from Athena's viewpoint.

Until now. Athena supposed Hera was wise in a different way. It was something she would have to consider should the world continue past the solstice.

Hera pulled back and smiled kindly at Athena and left her, not only alone in the enormous throne room, but with a new found respect for the queen of the gods.

** .o.O.o.**

**I've changed bits here and there to make it in general better. The largest change is near the end of the piece. **

**Let me know what you think, please. :)**

**Thanks,**

**Mezza**


End file.
